JJ and the Bets
by GeneWilderClone
Summary: It's summer vacation! Awesome! But after Jughead's day quickly goes south, he finds himself tangled in a web of hate... Betty's hate! This time he's really messed up, and his latest blunder threatens to ruin his tight friendship with the Cooper gal. Will the dynamic duo ever be what they once were? Is this the end... or a brand new beginning?
1. Twenty Dollars

_**Author's Note**__:_ _Hello there, FF net people! To start, I've been on a huge Betty x Jughead kick lately, in addition to being on hiatus from_ _any writing whatsoever (I upload my main works to dA, and sorry, that account shall stay anon). After reading a couple really great "Bughead" stories in particular, and seeing how there aren't a huge number of the sort out there, I thought I'd begin chipping away at my writer's block syndrome by starting one myself. First upload of my life to fanfiction for the win, eh?  
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_I haven't read the Archie comics in years, but nevertheless I'm up to the challenge of adding my own story to the fray. I still own a ton of copies so that's got to amount for something, right? The characters are still vivid and clear in my mind, at least.  
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_If you've found this fic and enjoy it, then cheers! If not... well, cheers anyway! Thanks for stoppin' by. AND YES, JUGHEAD'S GETTIN' BUILT. DEAL WITH IT (alright, sorry, I won't do that again).  
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><p><em><strong>Chapter 1: Twenty Dollars<strong>_

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><p>No books, no bells, no Ms. Grundy... no worries! With just a delectable Italian ice, his hammock, and the shade of the trees, Jughead Jones ascended into the zen stratosphere as he twirled his crown beanie round and round on his index finger.<p>

"Ah... ain't this the life, buddy?"

Hot Dog, the shaggy mammoth mutt who had inherited his master's laziness, sighed contentedly in agreement and stretched. Grinning, Jughead placed his hat over his eyes as he set down his empty cup, feeling very sleepy all of a sudden. Images of barbeques and pools popped into his head, sure to be fuel for a really great dream. There was nothing, absolutely nothing in the entire world, that could disrupt such a perfect, perfect—

"Oh, Jugheeeeeead!"

Startled, Jughead jerked his body and suddenly found the ground speeding towards his face to say hello.

_Wam!_

Pointy nose now imbedded in a patch of dirt, Jughead groaned as Hot Dog seized the opportunity and replaced him on the hammock.

"Jughead? Where are you, dear?"

He knew it had been too good to be true. Would he ever get to truly relax this summer? "Yeah, mom?!" he hollered, sitting up and glaring at his dog. "I'm out here in the backyard!"

"Oh, and look, Hot Dog is with you, too," commented Mrs. Jones as she made her way out through the back door. "That's great, now you won't have to go chasing him all over the place."

"Yeah, real great, mom." _Wait a second_. "Er, and why would I be chasing him?" asked Jughead, dusting off his shorts as he stood. And that's when he saw it. "Oh, mom, please don't! He'll go nuts! _I'll _go nuts!"

Mrs. Jones just rolled her eyes, setting the wooden bathtub firmly down onto the ground. "Now now, son, you know that flea-bitten sheepdog of yours has been in terrible need of a bath for heavens knows how long! And since he _is_ your responsibility..."

"Nope, sorry mom! No can do! I was actually just about to, um... go see Archie?" Whoops, he hadn't meant for that to come out as a question.

"Forsythe," his mother began, putting her hands on her hips as Jughead grimaced. "It's about time you've stepped up and done something useful this summer! You can't expect to continue lazing around like a sloth—yes, son, a sloth! Don't give me that face! I'm sorry, but it had to be said! Just because your father's at work during the day doesn't mean you can do whatever you feel like. Now, since I'm not totally heartless, I'll give you two options."

Jughead rubbed his temples, already feeling a headache coming on from his mother's yelling. Why did she always have to crash his party like this? "Alright, mom, spill it. What cruelty have you cooked up to destroy my day?"

Mrs. Jones just chuckled. "Well, for starters, dear, you can either spend the day giving Hot Dog here a well-needed scrubbing with this new shampoo..."

Hot Dog began to whine at the continued mention of his name in conjunction with the dreaded bathtub's presence. Jughead didn't blame him, he hated the dog-bathing ordeal just as much as his pet, if not more.

"Or," his mother continued, "you can go take a nice, long stroll down to the Riverdale Laundromat and do that load you've been promising for the past two weeks! It won't wash itself, and it'd be best to get it done sooner rather than later. Trust me, the exercise will do you good."

"Oh, but mom!" interjected Jughead, snapping his fingers and grinning. "I was working out this morning again, remember? See, I'm not lazy at all! I just need some time to chill out now and take a power nap."

"I. Don't. Care!" exclaimed his mother, the level of agitation in her voice rising. "Even if you were Hercules, I'd still be making you do this! So there you have it. Take your pick, which chore will it be?"

Sighing, Jughead glanced at Hot Dog, who looked ready to bolt from the hammock at any second. He certainly didn't want to be stuck chasing the giant lunkhead in circles for an hour, so there was only one sane decision left.

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><p>Stepping out from the cool cover of the trees and into the sun-broiled streets of downtown Riverdale was like culture shock to Jughead. He panted as drops of air conditioner condensation plopped onto his head, and horns blared as he witnessed some really terrible road rage at a busy intersection. Only now was he regretting taking a single bottle of water along for the trip. At the rate he was sweating, he could go for at least five.<p>

_BEEEEEEEEP!_

Forgetting to watch the side road as he crossed, Jughead almost became roadkill as a car sped by, just a hair's length away from where he had been about to step.

"Hey, dummy, watch it next time!" the driver yelled, who looked just about as shaken as Jughead. "You could've ended up in the hospital just now!"

"R-right!" Jughead stammered, retreating back to the sidewalk. "Sorry!"

_Keep your wits about you, Jug_, he commanded himself, swearing he saw popsicles floating in the sky. _Don't let the heat get you beat!_

Smiling at his own rhyme, Jughead happened to see a familiar face getting out of their car and stand in front of the laundromat. Eagerly crossing the street when it was safe, Jughead ignored the heatwaves that attacked him and began to sprint. "Arch! Hey, Arch! What's shakin'?"

"Yo, Jug! Fancy meeting you here!"

"You could say that again," replied Jughead, wiping a film of sweat off his forehead. "I was blackmailed by my mom a while ago. It was either get this smelly load of clothes spic and span or be sent to ye olde torture chamber. Also known as giving Hot Dog a bath."

"Ha, poor you!" laughed Archie, turning away from Jughead and peering inside the laundromat. "But you've got to admit, isn't getting out of the house for once pretty nice? I mean, I've hardly seen you at all since vacation began."

"Hey, now you're starting to sound like my mother, Arch! But, sorry for being a shut-in, pal. What say you we hang again before school starts? Maybe at Pop Tate's with the rest of the gang?"

Jughead waited for answer, but Archie seemed to have zoned out, and was staring through the laundromat's glass windows with a hesitant expression. Following his gaze, Jughead saw where the carrot top's attention had shifted to.

"Ah, very sneaky, Double-Oh Andrews," Jughead chuckled, "I suppose you've got a fake load of laundry in your car just so you can ask her out?"

The one Jughead referred to was none other than Elizabeth Cooper, known by most as Betty, the spunky blonde gal-next-door who was madly in love with Archie. Currently, she was tossing her own things into an empty wash, looking as cheery as ever.

"Hmm?" Archie's response had been super slow, and Jughead just rolled his eyes at his friend's clueless expression.

"Well, Arch, I'm heading in. If you want, I can wait for you so that we can both approach her. That way, it won't seem as—"

"No, that's not it. Jug... I can't go in. I've already got this date setup with Veronica, see..."

Jughead blew a disapproving raspberry and facepalmed. Not again. He should've known that Archie wouldn't go out of his way to see Betty, stalk her even, just to snag a date. "No, Arch, I really _don't_ see," Jughead told his friend, huffing in anger. "But please, do go on. What mess have you gotten yourself into this time?"

Archie looked relieved, and put a hand on Jughead's shoulder. "I've no clue what I'm going to do, Jug. See, I arranged a date earlier this week with Betty for tonight, but this morning Ronnie called me and told me about this huge event she's having over at the mansion. And she said I was going to be her guest of honor! Imagine that, Jug! Little old me, a guest of honor at one of those fancy banquets! I told her about my date with Betty, but you know Veronica. She threatened never to see me again if I didn't cancel!"

Jughead was "imagining it," but not the redhead's expensive dinner date. Instead, he only thought of the heartache it would bring for one of the most deserving girls he knew.

"Hey, I know!" cried Archie, his eyes suddenly lighting up. "Since you're going in there, how about you tell her that the deal's off tonight?"

The _deal_, eh? What nerve! "Hah!" came Jughead's defiance. "Get real, Arch. You know I only do these kinds of things for money! You're on your own, so catch you lat—"

"Jug, wait a second! You want money? Here! Have some money! It's all I've got!" Dipping into his pocket, Archie pulled out a leather wallet and removed a crisp ten dollar bill, waving it in front of Jughead's face.

"Aw, come on Arch! You can't be serious! I sure wasn't! It's against my code of honor! I shouldn't be the one to tell her, especially for cash!"

"Then how about this?" Reaching into his back pocket, Archie pulled out another ten dollars! "This is my special reserve, used only for emergencies. Please, Jug, this is twenty dollars we're talking about here! Shouldn't this cover the cost of that new video game controller you'd been asking your parents for?"

Sighing heavily, Jughead set down his laundry bag and wiped some more sweat from his brow. "Arch, no. I can't do it. That wouldn't be fair at all to—"

"I'll even buy you burgers for an entire week!" The weak spot had been hit, and Archie knew it. He watched triumphantly as the resolve in Jughead's face crumbled.

"Alright, fine... you win..." Jughead felt his heart droop, and immediately regretted going along with such a heartless deal. Sweat that he didn't even know he still had began to drench the bills as he stuffed them into his pocket.

"You're a lifesaver, Jug!" exclaimed Archie, patting Jughead's shoulder. "Thank you so much!"

And with that, Archie Andrews sped off in his jalopy, no doubt to prepare for the big night back at home.

_Well, here goes nothing. _Swallowing hard, Jughead hoped with all his might for a best-case scenario as he walked into the laundromat.

* * *

><p>"... and that's why the built-in money exchangers stopped workin'. Now, how much ya need?"<p>

Thankful that the heavyset employee's rant was over, Jughead named his price and handed the talkative woman a fiver. "How much for a small load?" he asked. "Haven't been here in a long time."

"Weeell, way back when, it used to only be a buck fifty, but now upper management's got us charging twice the price. You know how the economy is these days, inflation is the worst at times when—w"

"Uh, lady?!" interrupted Jughead, getting exasperated. "I need the money for the wash like, right now. My mom gave me a time limit while I run errands for her."

This was a fabrication, of course, but an effective one. The woman nodded, understanding, and inserted Jughead's money into the cash machine. Typing in the amount, she resumed running her mouth off. "I remember when my mother would ask me to do odd jobs around the town. Sometimes I'd get real fed up and use the money for things like ice cream sodas, a new haircut..."

Taking the money in his hand, Jughead scurried away with his laundry bag as the motormouth kept at it. Boy, could she talk up a storm! He was glad he didn't come here often. Slipping the quarters into his other empty pocket, he focused on the more pressing matter at hand. Having kept an eye on her position ever since entering, Jughead had no problem locating Betty. There she was, sitting across from her wash with her back to him, reading one of the latest gossip magazines and taking an occasional sip from her water bottle. Her ice cold water bottle.

Suddenly, Jughead donned a very impish smile as he quieted his approaching steps. Now directly behind her, he waited for Betty to take another sip, to set it down again on the floor... aaaand, yoink!

"Attack of the iceberg!" he cried, causing a few people to look up at him.

"YIKES!" shrieked Betty, magazine flying out of her hands as she jumped out of her seat. "Alright, who in the world do you think you... oh! Jughead!"

"The one and only!" came the toothy reply as Jughead held up the chilly water bottle in his hand. He had placed the bottle directly on Betty's neck, yielding the desired response out of the ponytailed girl. "What's going on, Bets?"

"Oh, you know. Taking trips downtown, getting scared by friends I haven't seen since summer began. Y'know, the usual!"

Jughead laughed, remembering just how much he missed her quick wit. In fact, he found that he suddenly missed her a whole lot. Unlike him, Betty had obviously been out and active ever since vacation began, nabbing herself a healthy, almost light golden tan that really brought out her hair and eyes. Come to think of it, had her eyes always been so pretty?

"Hello? Earth to Jughead?"

Oops. He hadn't been paying attention. "Sorry, what was that?"

"How's your summer been coming along?" Betty repeated, snatching back her bottle (which was mysteriously half-empty now). "School will be starting soon, you know."

"Uhhh..." The summer for Jughead had been an almost constant cycle of eating, gaming, and avoiding chores like the plague. Which, of course, was just how he liked it. "My summer's been good, I guess. Y'know the usual," he added at the end with a lopsided grin.

"Oh? And I suppose this is the usual, too?" Surprising him, Betty reached out and squeezed his arms, which showed definite signs of increased bulk. Her fingers even slid up slowly to where Jughead's sleeves were, tugging at the taut fabric that his muscle now filled out nicely.

"T-this?" stammered Jughead, taking a step back as he swatted the curious hands away. "It's nothing. Just thought I'd try a bit of a change. Instead of being the stick figure neighborhood nut, I thought I'd try and become the muscular neighborhood nut! It'll give Reggie one less thing to make fun of me about when I school him in basketball."

"Wow, Musclehead Jones," giggled Betty. "I'm not sure if I could get used to that!"

Jughead just shrugged, somewhat pleased that someone had actually noticed his newfound muscle. "Well, people change all the time," he replied, heading over to the empty washer next to Betty's. "I can't stay the same forever!"

"True, but I'd bet you everything in my purse that you're not here on your own accord."

"Urk! And what makes you say that, Betty?"

"Well, besides your natural aversion to any and all labor, that sticky note on the front of your shirt was a dead giveaway."

Jughead's eyes snapped down to where Betty's finger pointed. Smack dab on the front of his black t-shirt was a square of floral stationary, signed by "Mom" at the bottom in big, fancy letters. Ripping the sticky note off immediately, Jughead scanned the contents and groaned. "Aww man, I can't believe she stuck this onto me! I've been walking around Riverdale with this girly crap on me all day?"

Betty tried her best to stifle her laughter, but ended up laughing anyway.

"Ugh. Please, Betty," said Jughead as he began tossing clothes into the washing machine. "It's not _that _funny!"

"Ha, but you should've seen your face, Juggie! Priceless!" Snorting again at Jughead's scowl, Betty was lost in a fit of laughter all over again.

_Ding!_

"Oh, excuse me, Jug. My load's already done! Ack!"

Not watching where she was going, Betty's sneaker caught on a loose floor tile and she went flying.

"Don't worry, I've gotcha!" cried Jughead, reacting in record time. He felt like he was in a slo-mo movie scene as he dropped to his knees and slid across the floor, catching the blonde by the waist and securing his arms around her.

"Are you okay, Bets?" he asked, happy to be putting his strength to use as he helped the shaken Betty to her feet.

"I'm forever indebted to you, Juggie," she replied, putting a hand up to her beating heart. "And your mother, too. If she hadn't made you come, I would've taken a nasty spill just now. Y'know, maybe that extra muscle isn't so bad after all."

"Shucks, it was nothing, Betty. I'm just glad I caught you, I'd hate to have seen you get hurt."

"Ditto," she laughed. "Oh, you can let go of me now, Jughead. I'm totally fine."

Without meaning to, Jughead had still been holding Betty close to his body, her chest pressing into his. "O-oh, my bad, Bets..." he mumbled, scratching the back of his neck as he pulled away. _I'm just making one mistake after the other today, aren't I..._

"No, that's alright, it's nice to know you're concerned. Hey, I've got a couple extra quarters, Jug. Did you want a gumball from the machine?"

You'd better believe he said yes. Sneaking another swig of water, Jughead watched Betty as she walked away. Watched the sway of her hips... took note of how tightly her striped blue tank top and red shorts clung to her frame... and especially how her butt filled out the latter as she bent over...

Mentally and literally slapping himself, Jughead became acutely aware of many, many butterflies in his stomach. He also found that an incredible amount of heat was emanating from his face, which was odd since he had been 100% cool naught but a minute earlier. Why was he suddenly admiring Betty like this? He almost didn't avert his gaze in time as she made an about-face, and Jughead quickly pretended to be insanely interested with his untied shoelace.

"I know you like cherry the most, but you'll have to settle with watermelon for now. May I...?" Upon returning, Betty's blue eyes sparkled as she held up the green ball of gum to Jughead's mouth. In spite of the feeling in his gut intensifying, he opened it in compliance and allowed his friend to push the gum inside. Jughead bit down hard and began to chew, not even taking the time to enjoy the flavor as he still wondered what was wrong with him. Was he coming down with a sickness or something, from the heat perhaps?

"Say, Bets, mind if I sit down for a second?" he requested, blinking a couple times. "I feel strange for some reason..."

"Well then, step into my office, Jughead, and let Dr. C examine you!"

Jughead smiled at the joke, and eased himself into the folding chair. Betty's hand was cool compared to his blazing forehead, and was a welcome sensation. Being in such close proximity to her face, though, Jughead also noticed just how cute her serious expression was.

"Wow, Jug, you're burning up!" fretted Betty, now encompassing Jughead's face with both her hands. "Are you allergic to laundry detergent or something?"

"As if..." Jughead breathed, closing his eyes as Betty continued to poke and prod him. For some reason, all that he could think of was Betty's face, and how cute she looked today. But, he had always considered his neighbor a pretty girl. There was no denying she was attractive, right? You'd have to be blind to disagree. So why obsess like this now? It's not like she was food!

"Well, here, have the rest of my water," instructed Betty, handing Jughead the bottle. "You've already downed most of it, without asking I might add, but I can always just buy another."

Grateful, Jughead hastily unscrewed the cap and guzzled the rest, careful not to swallow his gum in the process. "Ahh... hey, I'm feeling better, Betty," he lied. "Really, thanks."

"I guess that was all you needed, eh? It's pretty hot out there, so try not to overdo it. Oh, by the way, did I tell you about my date with Archiekins tonight?"

Oh, great, he had nearly forgot about his deal! Jughead gazed up warily to watch Betty's eyes, to look for any sign in her sweet face at all that showed she knew. No, she couldn't have known, because it was up to him to break the bad news to her. He felt another heat flash coming on as his gut got all tied up in knots. "Um. N-no, you haven't told me yet."

"Hey, what's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost, Jug. You're not feeling sick again, are you?"

_If only you knew_, Jughead wanted to say. But he stayed silent as Betty went over to her finished wash. Shoveling various articles of clothing into her purple laundry bag, she continued. "Well Jug, no one else knows about it besides me, Archie, and now you, but today's our anniversary! Can you believe that? I sure can't!"

Oh no. This was bad. He had to come clean, now or never.

"Um, Betty, about your date..."

"We won't be do anything too special, probably, but that's the beauty of it. I mean, I'm going to get dressed up, not too sure about Archie. I even bought him a gift!"

"Say, Betty! I need to tell you something."

"Yes?" she asked, still smiling. "I actually need to get going soon. My parents always force me to save money and dry our things back home. But hey, it saves me prep time for tonight, so that's a plus."

The more she talked, the more guilt he amassed. Did Dipwad Andrews know that he was cancelling such an important event in the girl's life? For being Riverdale High's self-acclaimed ladies' man, he sure could be an insensitive clod when he tried! As hateful thoughts swirled around in his head, the twenty dollars that rested in Jughead's pocket began to feel like lethal acid eating away at his thigh.

"Bets, um... here's the thing." He couldn't believe he was about to say this. "Y-you see... Arch told me, uh, t-to tell you that..."

"You saw Archie? What did he say?" Betty looked so happy, so expectant of something good, and Jughead knew that he was about to ruin everything.

"He said, Betty... that the date is off. He's going to be with Veronica tonight, at some sort of snooty rich thing..."

Silence. Terrible silence.

"I'm real sorry, Betty..." Jughead didn't dare look up at Betty's face. Even as she dropped her laundry bag and all of her clothes spilled out, he forced himself to keep his eyes glued to the floor.

"H-huh? That's a joke, right, Jug? That's not very funny." Oh, wonderful. There was a definite wavering in her voice. Betty was on the verge of tears.

"I... Betty, I met him outside of here just a while back," explained Jughead, watching as a fat bead of sweat fell from his nose to the floor. "He was about to come in here and tell you himself, b-but he made me do it instead. F-for twenty dollars, actually, heh heh. Isn't that just t-the silliest thing you've ever- OOF!"

Jughead had never been punched in the stomach before, let alone so hard and so fast by a girl. His watermelon gum shot out like a cannon from his mouth onto his shoe, and he doubled over in pain as he looked up, shocked at Betty.

"T-that... that really hurt..." he wheezed, trying to regain his breath.

"Really?!" growled Betty, bending down and picking up her fallen clothes. "That's all you can say right now?! And did you even _try _to persuade him to come in person and tell me?! What kind of a friend are you, _asshole_?!"

Jughead had definitely turned to stone. He had never seen Betty so angry before. Her mood had just been the complete opposite! Did she... hate him more than Archie right now?

"S-sorry...?" offered Jughead weakly as the tears streamed down Betty's face.

"Sorry," she choked out in-between sobs. "Sorry, he says!"

"B-Betty, please don't be upset! I'll, uh... I'll talk to Archie about this! Y-yeah, and I'll let him know how wrong he was and-"

"Shut up!" shouted Betty, stamping on Jughead's foot. "I hate you! You, you...! Oh, smooth foresight, _Forsythe_! Real smooth! I can't believe you did that! Goodbye and good riddance!"

And with that, Betty rushed away, bawling her eyes out from a heart broken in two. Boy, he had really gone and done it this time. Jughead wanted to get angry, too, to explode at someone, preferably Archie, but he knew that it was really all his fault. By meddling, he had only made the blow worse for Betty. But the anniversary, for crying out loud! How was he supposed to have known?

"No, no excuses," he mumbled aloud, hanging his head glumly. "She even used my real name."

Now, Jughead wouldn't have minded if he had gotten someone like Ethel angry. But seeing Betty in tatters like that made him feel downright awful. She was practically like a sister to him. Betty had cooked for him, played video games with him, bought food at the Chocklit Shoppe for him, studied with him... and now she hated him. Great.

_J_ughead's hardly noticed that his wash was done as he continued to stew in his own misery. How could he possibly right this wrong? Call up and explain to Archie? Nah, the jerk would probably give some sort of half-baked answer and go with Ronnie anyway.

_Wait a minute_, thought Jughead, a lightbulb turning on. _Call? That's it!_


	2. The Plan

_**AN: **__Me again, comin' at ya live with the second chapter of JJ and the Bets! These author's note things are kinda fun to write lol. Something that was not fun, though, was when I forgot to save what I had of Chapter 2 a few months ago, so it got deleted and I had to start over from scratch... lost some of my enthusiasm because of that, but I've gotten it back now.  
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_Originally, I had meant to upload this chapter almost directly after the first one, but I got sidetracked ___(aka gaming and reading books)_ after I lost my progress, and then class began at the beginning of September so this had to take a back seat for a while. _But hitches aside, progress has gone smoothly and so here is Chapter 2!_  
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__In other news, I'm still getting used to this site's layout. Kinda clunky, but I know the more I familiarize myself with it the more I'll come to like it. I've also gone back edited Chapter 1. Nothing major, just polished it up, kind of.__

_Oh, and thanks much to Wonder Girl and Alba05 for reviewing! Feels cool to have gotten some feedback and even a couple follows in such a short span of time.  
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_Also, not too sure if I'll be doing more Betty perspectives after this chapter. But we'll see. I'd just like to focus on Jug's take on everything, mainly. This chapter's shorter than the previous, but nevertheless I hope you guys enjoy! Before break ends I hope to get out the third chapter, maybe the fourth.  
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* * *

><p><strong><em>Chapter 2: The Plan<br>_**

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><p>"And you're sure about this? What if it all gets stolen?"<p>

"Don't worry, it won't! No one goes to the park at night, so you don't have anything to worry about. Please?"

Pop Tate sighed, taking Jughead's money reluctantly. "Never in all my years of working here... the things I do for a best customer."

As the Chocklit Shoppe owner made his way into the kitchen, Jughead twirled round on his stool and smiled. It wasn't much, but he hoped it would be make Betty feel a bit better. And then he'd rant about how stupid he'd been, how stupid Arch had been, and she'd go back to her normal old self again. Right?

Right...?

Jughead looked outside. The sun had already begun to set.

"Alright, Pop, I'm off! Do your thing!"

* * *

><p>All she had to do was make one snip. Then more snips. And then call him up and break it off for good. It was simple, really.<p>

Betty flung Archie's picture across her room and let the scissors fall from her hand, holding back the tears as she clenched her fists.

"But how?!" she wailed. "How could he forget?!"

She dove into her pillows and let loose for the umpteenth time that afternoon, sobbing madly. Archie had never done this to her before! Normal dates, yes. Anniversaries, no! Was she really only the third wheel, then? Was Ronnie Lodge going to be the true victor in the end...?

_*Knock* *Knock* *Knock*_

"Betty, dear, you've been up here for a while! Is everything alright? Are you hungry, I can make—"

"GET OUT!" exclaimed Betty, chucking her pillow at the door. "Leave me alone!"

Seeing the load of Archie photos scattered on Betty's bed, and the scissors, Mrs. Cooper put two and two together quite easily, sighing and leaving her daughter in peace.

"Honey, I think everyone in kingdom come heard that," Mr. Cooper commented as his wife entered the kitchen. "Will Betty be alright?"

"I'm not sure, Hal..." sighed Mrs. Cooper. "She had a pretty huge date with Archie today, from what I recall."

Mr. Cooper let out a dry laugh. "That boy couldn't hold a date with our daughter to save his life. I don't understand what Betty sees in a forgetful clod like that."

"We were all young once, Hal. We made some poor choices. I just hope Betty will be all right..."

* * *

><p>"Cooper, Cooper... Ah, there she is. One of the first people."<p>

After much rummaging through an old box in his room, Jughead finally found it: the 8th grade yearbook. Currently, his finger moved across the lines of what Betty had written him four years prior under her picture.

_"You're really weird, Jug, but really funny and cool at the same time." _Jughead grinned. "_Soon we'll be in Riverdale High, can you believe it? Let's hang out over the summer, here's my new number..."_

"Bingo!" Jughead exclaimed. He had forgotten to back then, but now he took out his phone and added "The Bets" to contacts. While everyone else had upgraded their phones over the years, he knew Betty's had stayed the same for years. A cherry red flip phone, just like his favorite gum.

_Gum..._

Jughead winced at the fresh memory of his gum hitting the floor and Betty storming out of the laundromat. Hitting "call", Jughead sprang up from his bed and tensed. All of a sudden he felt really nervous. What would he say when she picked up? Oh crap, he hadn't even thought of what he was going to say!

_*Click*_

"H-hello...?"

Jughead felt that stab of guilt all over again when he heard Betty's voice. She had definitely been crying. A lot. Clearing his throat, Jughead began.

"No, Miss Cooper, this is not Archie," he said in a deeper and (hopefully) disguised tone, "but a certain someone told me they couldn't bear to see you down. He would like very much to see you and apologize for—"

"Jug."

Jughead made a noise that sounded like both a cough and a gasp at the same time. Betty sighed on the other end. Now what?

"Y-yeah, Betty, it's me..." he finally said, voice cracking. "I'm calling because—"

"You did something terrible to me. You, Archie and Ronnie are all on thin ice right now."

"Betty, I know, I did something stupid and hurtful to you! And I'm calling because I want to—"

"Take another bribe for another coward?" Betty interjected angrily, sounding on the verge of tears again. "Boy, do I have awesome friends, or what?" _*Click*_

"Dammit!" Jug yelled, tossing his phone down and kicking his bed. "Just let me talk to you, Betty!"

Jughead glanced at his watch. Great, almost 7:30 and he had told Pop Tate 8:00 PM sharp. He tried to call Betty again, but she wasn't picking up. He'd have to come up with another plan. A Plan C to reach her.

"Jughead, dinner time!" shouted Mrs. Jones.

"Crap! Uh, I mean, I have a really bad headache, mom! I think I just need to rest in my room!"

"Oh... well, alright, dear. Do you need me to fetch the pain killers?"

"No mom, I'll be fine! I just need to sleep this off!"

Closing the door to his room and locking it, Jughead grinned. With his mother off his back, he was free! Grabbing a hoodie from his closet, he zipped up and threw open his window. He knew exactly what his Plan C would be.

"Hopefully the branches are still strong..." he mumbled. For the past few years, the giant tree outside the Jones' house had served as a means of escape for Jughead, usually to sneak out at midnight to someone's house for the homework he forgot to do. Or for a trip to Pop's just before closing time. Shimmying out carefully onto the closest, thickest branch, and grabbing a thinner one above him, Jughead slowly began shuffling towards the trunk. Once there, he hugged it and used the branches below him as steps. Too bad for him, Hot Dog noticed him just before he touched the ground and began to bark at what he thought was a hooded intruder.

"Shhh! Calm down, boy! It's only me!"

Unconvinced, Hot Dog jetted from his doghouse and made a beeline for Jughead.

"For Pete's sake!" cried Jughead, sprinting away from the mutt.

"Hey, what's going on out there?!"

Just in time, Jughead vaulted over his fence and accelerated, the adrenaline giving him an extra burst of speed. Jughead's mother opened the door, but thanks to the darkness all she saw was the now distant outline of Jughead running down the block.

"That's right, and don't you ever come back!" she shouted, huffing. "Good work, Hot Dog. I'll bring you a treat for that."

Peeking out from behind a mailbox, Jughead breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the door to his house close.

As he walked, took deep breaths to calm himself. It was a rather chilly night for summer, he was glad he brought a hoodie. Caught up in gazing at the stars and enjoying the cool breeze, Jughead almost didn't realize that he was about to pass up Betty's house. Backpedaling, he opened the gate quietly and walked stiffly up to the front door. He knocked twice, and glanced up in the hope that Betty would stick her head out the window. It was a quiet neighborhood, so she had most likely heard.

"Oh! Hello, Jughead. Why are you here?"

"Hello, Mrs. Cooper," Jughead replied, offering a smile. "I'm here, because... well... it's about Betty."

Betty's mother raised an eyebrow. "Go on."

"Uh, w-well," he stammered, removing his hood and ruffling his hair as he fished for his beanie. "I screwed up. Big time. And I need to talk to Betty. About Archie, but mainly about... us."

He hoped that had sounded convincing enough. Mrs. Cooper's expression turned to one of mild shock.

"By 'us', do you mean that you've become... _involved_ with Betty?"

Jughead's eyes widened. Involved? Did she mean romantically?! "No, no, nothing like that! I meant our friendship, that's all..." Jughead's face flushed again.

"Well, what would you like to tell Betty, then? I'll relay the message to her when she comes down."

"Oh, but can't I come in?" asked Jughead, attempting to walk into the house. Mrs. Cooper moved to block his way.

"Sorry, Jughead, not right now. She's a wreck. I'll let her know you'd like to talk, though, okay?"

"But I even have a surprise planned!" Jughead cried, panicking. "Like an anniversary gift, but not really since it doesn't have to do with Arch, especially since she hates him now, their anniversary was today, this surprise is from me, but I wanted to cheer Betty up and—!"

"Jughead, slow down. You've got good intentions, I'm sure, but now's not the time. Come back tomorrow, okay?"

The door shut, leaving Jughead to stand there defeated. He hung his head and walked away, but collapsed halfway down the yard onto his back. "WHY?!" he shouted skyward. If he couldn't talk to her, how could he solve the problem?

Taking out his phone, Jughead glanced at the time. 8:05. Sighing, he sat up and went to his contacts, calling Archie. All he got was the prerecorded message, but Jughead didn't care.

"Hey, Arch, buddy!" he practically yelled. "It's me, the pal you sent to break off your anniversary date! Nice one, man. Do you ever think, Andrews? Did Betty's feelings ever cross your mind?! Why do you even bother with if you let her down all the damn time?"

After letting Archie have it, Jughead hung up and went back to lying down on the grass. It was cloudless night, with a crescent moon overheard and bright stars that speckled the sky. Jughead made a mental note to do this again sometime. When his social life wasn't all screwy. It was very calming for him after blowing his stack a bit.

_Man, this entire summer I've just been selfishly ignoring Betty. I used to hang with the gang every summer, but now everyone feels so distant..._

Before Jughead knew it, he was dozing off. At first, he caught himself, but then...

"ZZZzzzz..."

"Ju...hea... wak...up."

"Zzzz... hmm...?"

"Jughead, wake up."

"Hnnng? No mom, don't wanna do chores today..."

"Jug, I'm not your mother. Up and at 'em, c'mon."

Jughead's eyes fluttered open and he beheld the face of Betty Cooper, who knelt over him with her arms crossed.

"Oh. Oh! Betty. Um, hey."

"So, there's some sort of surprise for me?"

Jughead sat up, still blinking the sleepiness away. "Er, yeah. I do. W-what made you change your mind?"

Betty didn't give an answer. "Come, Forsythe. Let's walk for a while." She held out a hand to him to help him up.

Jughead's mind slowly caught up to what was happening. His heart raced as Betty's body came closer to his as she pulled him to his feet. It should have been the furthest thing from Jughead's thoughts because of the situation, but he just couldn't help himself. Betty's face was like a magnet to him right now, and he began to stare intently without meaning to. Catching his eye, Betty looked up at him, raising an eyebrow as a quizzical little smile played at the edge of her lips, something that Jughead found overwhelmingly cute. He could feel his entire face become searing hot, and he began to sweat all over.

Betty waved in front of his face. "I'm giving you a second chance here, Jug, and you're blowing it. Don't just stand there, march."

Jughead cleared his throat, snapping out of it. "Right, Bets. Sorry, I think the heat's still getting to me. From this afternoon."

Betty winced at the mention of it, and Jughead groaned at his mistake.

"Sorry..." he said. "So, wanna... go to the park? That's where my surprise is."

"Lead the way, then," Betty said, zipping up her purple jacket. "And when we get there, we'll talk."

They set off down the block, Jughead in front. Each time they passed under a street light he'd look back and become transfixed on her eyes. Even now during the night, they were so bright and blue. "Um, Bets, I think..."

"Yes?" She turned to him, her blonde hair blowing in the wind.

"I... think... nevermind," Jughead finished, looking away in embarrassment. _I think I'm falling in love..._


	3. Queen Elizabeth

_**AN**__: Yo yo yo peoplez, I am back! School's out for summer and I ain't got writer's block. I'm really happy that you're all finding this story enjoyable (And by "all" I mean the small handful of people who know about this fanfic lol). Bughead4lyfe \o/ _

_Currently I haven't planned things too far ahead in the plot, but that's about to change soon thanks to all of the free time I now have. Outline ahoy!_

_I also went back and reacquainted myself with the first two chapters I wrote, I noticed some typos and other slightly bad mistakes I made that should be edited soon. _

_But yeah, thanks to Wonder, chr1steh, and the anonymous Guest for droppin' me some nice comments on the previous chapter. Sorry to all for not uploading the 3rd and 4th chapters like I had promised months ago, I've got to stop giving empty promises. Oh, there is a shameless band insert within, so I apologize in advance. It won't happen again, I promise. Really! (Tho check the band out if you enjoy indie rock ;P )  
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_But tell me what you think, was Jug's surprise worth the hype? Or could he have done much better for Betsy?_

_Anyways, here's the latest chapter! Any and all reviews are welcome like ice cream on a sweltering hot summer day.  
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><p><strong><em>Chapter 3: Queen Elizabeth<br>_**

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><p>The silence of the night was overwhelming. Sometimes an owl would hoot, or something would scurry up a tree, but that was it. Jughead and Betty walked side by side along the Riverdale Park path, Jughead glancing sidelong at her occasionally. When a late night jogger needed to pass by and Betty moved a lot closer to Jughead, he panicked and actually jumped, putting about a foot of space between them. Betty just looked at him with an unreadable expression and then rolled her eyes.<p>

"I'm not going to bite your head off, Jug..." she told him softly, reaching out for his arm and pulling him back towards her. "Don't be weird."

Offering a nervous grin, Jughead nodded like a jackhammer and they returned to silence as the glow of lamp lights guided their way. Truthfully, it wasn't any head-biting that Jughead was afraid of—it was the aroma of her hair and what it was doing to him. Oranges? Peaches? Oh, who cared, it smelled like heaven, and she was just gorgeous. He was going to have a heart attack, he just knew it.

_I wonder what time it is._

Quickly glancing down at the time, Jughead blanched. 8:30! What if someone had stolen his gift for Betty?

"Hey, slow it down, bub!" protested Betty as she broke into a jog to keep up with Jughead, who had doubled his pace.

"S-sorry, Betty, but my surprise might be—!"

Jughead rounded a corner of tall bushes, and there it was: completely safe.

"Yes!" he exclaimed with a triumphant fist pump. "Okay, Bets, it's right—OOF!"

Having not been ready for Jughead's short stop, Betty smacked right into him just as he turned back around to her. Reacting quickly, Jughead wrapped his arms around her tightly and steadied them both before they began to fall. Time seemed to slow as Jughead's heart raced and he held Betty close for the second time that day.

"A little warning next time, 'kay?" she asked. "And loosen up your grip, macho man, this kind of hurts."

Jughead let go as if she were a burning coal. "R-right, my bad again. Uh, your thing, it's set down on the bench there." He pointed with a shaky finger.

"This had better be good, or else you're not forgiven."

Jughead's eyes shot wide open in shock, but he breathed a huge sigh of relief when he saw Betty give a tiny little smirk. She walked past Jughead and approached her surprise, which was in the form of a large, square box. And purple, too; her favorite color. Jughead felt a lot better when she visibly perked up at the sight of it.

"Ahem! Before you go and open that, I'd like to make a royal decree."

Betty turned to him, raising an eyebrow. "Go on."

"Well," Jughead began, "as you know, a certain kingly land dweller, or shall I say blowhard, by the name of Sir Archibald has, on this day, wronged Lady Elizabeth Cooper. As has his right hand knight, Sir Forsythe Jones. Seeing as my loyalty to the the throne is wavering, the first order of business is this." Reaching up to the top of his head, Jughead removed his crown beanie, and offered it to Betty.

"Your hat?" she cried, taking it. "You're giving up your trademark just for me?"

"Of course, Queen Elizabeth, it's the least I could do. If only for tonight, that is," he added with a wink.

"Ugh, I should've known you'd be stingy!" she laughed, playfully punching his shoulder. "But... thanks, Jughead." Donning the crown (which made her irresistibly cute, Jughead noted), Betty opened the long-awaited box of surprise, and gasped in delight. "Aw, Juggie!" she swooned. Inside was huge chocolate fudge cake, with "Happy Anniversary" written across the top in cursive, and in another compartment of the box...

"Oh Gosh, Jug. Is this real?"

"Yeah, don't worry, the cake is real. It probably isn't hot anymore, sorry about that, I asked Pop to—"

"No, not that! The band stuff! How the hell did you do it?!"

Now resting in Betty's hands was a vinyl, t-shirt and tickets to an upcoming concert, all pertaining to Betty's most recent music obsession, "Portugal. The Man."

"A magician never reveals his secrets," intoned Jughead cryptically, using his hoodie like a cloak to hide a part of his face as he made some ghostly sound effects.

"Jughead Jones, you marvelous soul! Come here!"

Practically throwing herself at him, it was Betty's turn to squeeze as hard as she could. The wind was knocked out of Jughead and he gasped, then laughed and felt really fuzzy inside.

"T-too tight, Bets, haha..."

"It's revenge time, Sir Jones. Your Queen is entitled to do this!"

Jughead had no time to reply as he realized Betty was starting to... to _excite _him. Reddening even more, Jughead tried to wriggle free, but Betty held him tighter, laughing as he failed to escape. "I order thee to cease!" she laughed. "Your allegiance lies with me!"

"B-Betty, stop it! I—! Uh! Archie!"

"What?" He felt her enthusiasm deflate like a balloon. "Archie?"

Jughead winced at the sudden negative edge in her voice. He hated to nip her positive mood in the bud so early, but he had to get her to stop practically humping him _somehow_.

"Y-yeah. Archie," he repeated with hesitation. "You were going to... talk about him. Right?"

Betty looked defeated as she let go of Jughead, a stark difference from that incredibly peppy mood just a few moments ago. "I guess so, Jug. I guess so."

She sat down, peering into her gift box at the cake.

"Want me to cut you a slice?" asked Jughead quietly. He was relieved to get the chance to discretely readjust his pants.

"I don't feel very hungry," Betty replied, forlorn. "Later, maybe. Right now I'll just bite the bullet and get it over with..."

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><p>Jughead's sleeve absorbed all of her tears as she told him the story. As it turned out, Archie had spent most of their junior year ignoring Betty, but explained it away under the guise of "not enough time for dates" because he was "studying hard." All well and good, she had told him, just so long as they got to spend some quality time together on occasion. However, Archie slipped up near the end of the year, and Betty had caught him out with Ronnie on a night just before one of the big history tests Archie had claimed to be "studying hard" for. He had made up some lame excuse, promised Betty a date soon, at the junior prom no less, but he stood her up and took Ron instead. As a result, Betty was left that night in her costly dress and hairdo without anyone to go with.<p>

"And then, Jug," wailed Betty, "I reminded him about our anniversary when summer started, and he said he'd make it today no matter what, and now look! That dumbass goes and ditches me for that rich bimbo! Again!"

_Standard Andrews behavior_, thought Jughead with another surge of anger. Did the redhead have no idea what a great girl he was passing up?

"What is wrong with me, Jug? Do you know?" Seemingly all out of tears, Betty looked up at him with red, puffy eyes, so tired and sick of it all. Jughead swallowed hard, feeling terrible inside for having been a part of her pain. Before he knew what he was doing, he wrapped a comforting arm around Betty's shoulders and looked her straight in the eye.

"Nothing's wrong with you, Bets. You're a beautiful person, inside and out. Don't beat yourself up over _our_ selfish actions. We're just two awful dudes who really enjoy seeing others suffer, I guess..."

Betty shook her head. "I overreacted before, Juggie. I was sooo, so angry, and I took it out on you. You had no idea how big my date was to me. So, don't go roping yourself in with Archie. And you weren't feeling well, right? The heat could've clouded your judgment, too."

"It's still all my fault," moaned Jughead, "I should've made him go into the laundromat and break it off himself. I chose money over friendship, Bets. What I did is the worst, I'm awful, I wish I could travel back in time and—"

"Juggie, it's okay, shh... I forgive you." At this she gave his hand a comforting squeeze. "When I saw and heard you outside my house, I realized... you really _were_ sorry about what you did. And you wouldn't stop until you made sure you solved your problem with me, just like a true friend."

She nuzzled deeper into his side and sighed contentedly. Looking up at him with a smile, she was suddenly so close to his face now, he could've kissed her.

"Thanks for persevering with me, Jug. You're not an asshole, you're the best. And maybe your gifts _did _help soften the blow of this whole ordeal, haha..."

Jughead averted his gaze immediately as his heart skipped a beat, ordering scandalous thoughts out of his head. "Right, B-Bets. Glad I could help, too."

Suddenly Jughead's phone buzzed and he fumbled for it, thankful for the distraction. Lo and behold, it was a text from none other than Sir Archibald Andrews. "King of the Idiots," Jughead growled. "I wonder what sorry excuse he's got for us this time."

Betty let out a dry sob at the mention of Archie, and Jughead felt like he was going to break his phone if he gripped it any tighter. "...You gonna be okay, Betty?"

"Yeah, I think so. Go on, read it."

Sliding his thumb across the screen, Jughead tapped on Archie's name and read the message out loud. "Sry Jug dont worry cuz Betty will understand! she's a trooper, i should kno since we've been together so long. hey rons and me r goin to the beach tmw, wanna come?"

Jughead laughed aloud incredulously at this. The audacity of Carrot Top was astonishing. But then he saw Betty's pained expression and stopped laughing. They sat together closely for a long while after that, not saying a word. Jughead really hoped that his hummingbird heartbeat wasn't noticed by Betty. But on the other hand, he didn't want the moment to end, ever.

"I really am dumb..." spoke Betty, breaking the lengthy silence. "Archie's lost all love for me, and I've just been too blind to see it."

Jughead frowned. "Yeah, well, y'know what they say, love is not Archie Andrews' strong suit."

Betty gave a half-hearted chuckle. "It's, 'love is blind,' Juggie."

Another lull in the conversation as the two thought. If he concentrated with all his might, Jughead found that he could suppress the giddy feeling that being so close to Betty caused him. His relief didn't last long when she decided to ask a real doozy of a question.

"Say, since we're on the subject, Jug... are you seeing anyone special?"

_Uh oh. _"I'm... not sure I follow," he replied, reddening as he scratched the back of his head. Dammit. Of course he knew what she meant. But what was he going to say? 'Betty! I've got this huge crush on you and I'd like to take advantage of your emotionally crushed state to comfort you with a french kiss'? Yeah, right. That line was about as smooth as cactus needles.

"What do you mean, you don't follow? I'm saying, are you in love with a girl, Jug?"

To hear Betty of all people ask him about relationships so suddenly made his entire body feel like it was on fire. Inside he was yelling at himself to confess, but he knew it was completely out of the question. Instead, he retracted his arm quickly from around Betty and turned away as he fanned his face. Worried, she put a hand on his forehead and yelped.

"Jug! Are you still sick? You feel hotter than this morning."

"I'm perfectly normal, Bets," he breathed, "it'll be gone soon! Seriously, don't worry. And, no, I'm not in love with anybody right now!" He looked to see if she bought it. But it must have been the uncertainty in his expression, because Betty raised a suspicious eyebrow.

"You sure, Jug? What about those two girls who were always hanging around you in the library after school, Joanie and Debbie?"

"Study buddies!" he nearly shouted, swallowing hard. "That's all. Seriously, that's all," he finished more quietly.

"Please, Jug? Tell me who you like. You know how good I am with keeping secrets." She zipped her lips for emphasis.

_If only she knew_. "No, Bets, sorry. No secrets for those lips of yours to keep, I'm afraid."

"You're no fun," she sighed, picking up Jughead's arm and using his sleeve to wipe her remaining tears away. "But you're such a good sport for hearing me out. I feel... better. Liberated. Like I could take on a hundred Archie heartbreaks all at the same time if I had to."

"And I'd be right there with you in each and every one," stated Jughead, forcing himself to look Betty in the eyes. If he hadn't been so caught up with trying to slow his heart rate down, he might have noticed the light blush that had begun to creep into Betty's cheeks as the two stared at each other. Becoming a real nervous wreck as Betty returned his gaze, Jughead shot his gaze upward and cleared his throat loudly. "Hey hey, would you look at that! You can see the Big Dipper in the sky!"

Betty likewise recovered and adopted a look of mock disgust, rolling her eyes again. "Don't go all sissy on me now, Forsythe P. Jones. Are those muscles just for show, or what?"

"Hey!" he protested. "Uncalled for, I say. The penalty is a red card, getting kicked off the team, and detention for a whole month!"

She snorted. "Whatever you say, Coach." And then, she snapped her fingers. "I just thought of the _perfect_ plan. How about I crash Archie's little beach party?"

Jughead gasped. "You really think you should? I mean, are you sure you're alright with doing such a thing, Betty? What if Archie says some really stupid stuff at the beach and you get upset all over again? Like, I mean some really, really stupid—"

"Juggie? What did I just tell you?"

_Oops_. "You said you could take on a thousand Archies if you had to?"

"A hundred, Jug," she corrected, "and heartbreaks. I'm not sure if I could fight a thousand of him and live to tell the tale."

"Right," Jughead replied slowly, smiling. "So, uh, who'll you be taking to the beach to make Archie jealous? Assuming that's your aim..."

"Silly, you're taking me there! As for the jealousy part, that's debatable."

The phone nearly slipping out of his sweaty palm as Jughead began to text Archie back. He couldn't believe it. "kay dude," he wrote, "but do u mind if i bring a girl along?"

Betty giggled as she read the last part. "He won't even be expecting me. This is too good."

"Exactly the plan," snickered Jughead, sending it. Almost instantly, the reply came: "ha, u ladies man! sure it should be fun"

"Settled!" Betty exclaimed. "A beach date with Juggie. Better not break it up for another twenty, alright?"

Jughead grimaced at the remark, but nonetheless he felt like he was soaring._ I'm taking Betty to the beach! Holy crap!_ "O-Oh, well, alright, Bets. We can do it, I suppose," he said, attempting to play it off cool. Abruptly standing, Jughead stretched and cracked his knuckles. "We should get some sleep, then! And, just checking again, you're sure that—"

"Trust me, Jughead. I am fine now."

He nodded. "Sorry, I just... sorry. Welp, Queen Elizabeth, I'll carry your stuff home, relieve you of your queenly duties, and then pick you up tomorrow?"

Betty looked disappointed for some reason, but then brightened up as she stood. "Jughead, wait. Queen Elizabeth has one final order before giving up the crown."

"Uh... sure thing, m'lady. Name it and may it be done." _I wonder what she's thinking?_

An impish smile began to form again on Betty's face. "I just can't possibly stand being alone tonight, Sir Jones. Who am I going to eat cake and listen to this lovely vinyl record with? Accompany me to my estate and stay the night, pretty please?"


End file.
